Method of producing stockings and socks



Oct. 1l, 1932. T. H. y.JONES METHOD OF PRODUCING STOCKINGS AND SOCKSFiled March 28, 1930 tto m96 ThomasLZ. Jones, by

Patented Oct. 11, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE METHOD F PRODUCINGSTOCKINGS AND SOCKS Application illed larch 28,- 1930, SerialNo.439,789, and in Great Britain March 28, 1929.,

This invention relates to stockings and socks and has for one of itsobjects to provide an improved method of manufacturing same, whichmethod is particularlyadvantageous when producing stockings or sockshaving paltterned legs and foot uppers and plain so e.

Broadly the invention consists in forming on a circular knitting machinea stocking il@ in one continuous piece comprising a leg portion oftubular fabric, a iiat selvedged ex tension constituting the foot upper,a pocket A shaped toe portion, a second flat selvedged part constitutingthe foot sole and a second `'5* pocket forming the heel.-

By making a stocking as above it will be appreciated that the leg andfoot upper can be atterned as desired, while the sole which is ormed asan integral part of the whole,

2119 is maintained plain.

Another important object of the invention is to enable a greater rangeor variation of patterns or pattern effects to be produced bychange-over or reverse` plating in stockings and socks made on acircular-knitting machine. Heretofore in order to obtain a plain solethe plated pattern continued on to the foot upper from the leg has ofnecessity been confined to not more than two colours, the 39 reason forthis being that when the foot upper and sole are simultaneouslyr knittedas a tubular part and one of the threads employed in the pattern ofthe-upper provides the colour of the sole., any thread or threadsretained out of knitting position will float across the sole; this beingalso the case Where entirely separate yarn is introduced foriknittingthe sole.

Another feature of the invention therefore i 40 resides in providing astocking or sock having a foot upper in more than two colours producedby change-over or reverse plating, a plain (one-colour) sole, notransverse floating threads across the foot, and said sole constitutingan integral part of the stocking.

For the purpose of more fully describing the nature of this inventionreference will now be made to the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1illustrates in an extended forni the knitted piece which when seamed upconstitutes the stocking.

Figure 2 shows the stocking as it' appears when taken from the machineand prior to seeming.

Figure 3 shows the completed foot portion.

In one method of carrying out the invention aplain or ribbed :top orwelt of a stocking orisock is first produced and subsequently on thesame or a separate machine a tubular o0 leg portion 1 is knitted. ncompletion of the leg, the rotaryl motionof the machine is discontinuedand reciprocatioii commenced on approximately half of the needles toproduce a lat'selvedged portion 2 constituting,r 65

the instep or foot upper the remaining needles being moved up out ofoperation and still retaining their stitches, and when a sufficientlength of said `dat is knitted a pocket or bag-like piece 3 is producedconstituting 7o the toe.

f From this toe is knitted by continued reciprocation a further flatselvedged extension 4 which is to form the foot sole, said sole 4terminating in a second pocket portion 5 75 constituting the heel.

After knitting the pocket heel 5 the displaced needles with stitchesthereon may be brought down and full rotary motion of the machine isadvantageously proceeded with to produce'a few full circular courses 6on all needles, (Figure 2), thus knitting the heel to the lower end ofthe leg at each ankle, after which the fabric is removed from themachine.

In this way an article is knitted comprising a tubular leg from the onehalf of which at its lower end extends a flat part with two ocketportions, the extension being folded back on itself at the toe pocket,and prefer- 9o ably being definitely joined at the ankles by knittingthe aforesaid limited .number of full circular courses all as shown inFigure 2.v After removal of the articles so formed from the machine, thetwo side openings 7 in the 95 foot are seamed up'or linked, the finalhal'r'-l circular course at the top of the heel being also linked orseamed up to the final halfcircular course at the rear of the leg to'provide a joint extending from ankle to ankle acrossy ythe rear of thestocking above the heel. The final full courses 6 constitute ravellingcourses which may be produced from cheaper yarn and facilitate thelinking process, such courses rendering unnecessary the careful handlingof the stocking after removal from the machine and before the linkglidesired, however, these ravelling courses may be omitted, in which casethe article may be cast off from the machinel after knitting the pocketheel, the cast off edge of said heel being subsequently seamed up to thehalf-circular lower ed e of the leg.

It willfbe seen that in a stoc 'ing according to this invention no seamor joint occurs across-the toe.

A stocking as above can be produced by reverse plating, and as the'soleis knitted at a different time from the upper, it will be understoodthat two or more colours can be yincorporated in the leg and foot upperwhile providing aplain'sole Without loose floating threads. Forinstance, during the knitting lof the tubular leg and selvedged upper,two pairs of pivotally displaceable thread 'feeders may be employed,said pairs being remaining needles a selvedged foot upper portion, apocket toe, a selved ed foot sole and a pocket heel, subsequent yreturning the said ino erative needles to the operative positionand)producing by rotary motion a number of full circular ravellingcourses,and finally lafter removal of the garment from the machine seemingtogether the foot upper and sole along the foot sides and the rear lowerend of the leg to the heel.

2. The method of producing a stocking or sock on a circular knittingmachine which consists in first knitting by rotary motion a tubular legportion, then moving a number less than one half of the total number ofneedles in the circular row to an inoperative osition with thepreviously formed stitch oops retained thereon and proceeding-byreciprocation to knit on the remaining needles a selvedged foot upperportion,"a pocket toe, a selvedged foot sole and a pocket heel, the saidfoot upper and sole being of smaller diameter than the tubular legportion, subseuently returning the said inoperative neeles to theoperative position and roducing by rotary motion a number of fullcircular ravelling courses, and finally after removal of the garmentfrom the machine seaming together the foot upper and sole along the footsides and the rear lower end of the leg to the heel.

THOMAS HENRY JONES.

caused to appear continuously on the face of o said sole. In this'lattercase a splicing yarn may also be introduced during the production of thesole.

When a different yarn is employed for the sole, the change-over platingguides are automatically bluffed at the commencement of the pocket toe,and one additional guide brought into use. f

The toe and heel pocket portions are producedby displacing needlesupwardly with stitches thereonat each side edge of the flat piece so asgradually to narrow said piece I until only a small number of needlesare in action and then gradually bringing said dis-y placed needles downagain until the full width is reached, thus formin two oppositelytapering pieces which are ]oined together at their tapering edges.

It is to be understood that the sizeof the foot may be reduced by movingmore than one half of the machine needles into an u per or inoperativeposition during the knittin thereof.

claim z- 1.v The method of producing a stocking or sock on a circularknitting machine which consists in first knitting by rotary motion atubular leg portion, then moving approximately one half of the circularrow of needles to an inoperative position with the previous- 1y formedstitch loops retained thereon and 5 proceeding by reciprocation to kniton the

